Film feeding means for printing machines



April 17, 1951 I F. E. OAKHlLL FILM FEEDING MEANS FOR PRINTING MACHINES3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filefd Dec. 2, 1944 April 17, 1951 F. E.OAKHILL 2,548,998

FILM FEEDING MEANS FOR PRINTING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 2, 1944 3Sheets-Sheet 2 fi J54 6] t r x I w ll]. 1 h mlwm F. E. OAKHILL 2,548,998

FILM FEEDING MEANS FOR PRINTING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 2, 1944 3Sheets-5 3 g, s W;

Patented Apr. 17, 1 951 FILM FEEDING MEANS FOR/PRINTING MACHINESFrederic E. Oakhill, Wilmette, Ill.,assignor to Prismacolor, Inc.,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application December2, 1944, Serial No.

566,310. Divided and this application November 10, 1945, Serial N 0.627,820

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in photographic film printingmachines, and more particularly to machines for printing groups ofimpressions carried by a negative film which has been exposed in whatmay be called a three-color camera, although two-color or othermulti-color films may be printed with the present machine with slightchanges.

The subject matter of the present application has been divided out of mypending application, Serial No. 566,310, filed December 2, 1944, nowPatent 2,515,420, for an improvement in Film Printing Machines.

Upon the negative film are photographed groups of black and white imagesof an objective or many objectives. The individual images of each groupare called frames since the images of each group are equally spacedapart by more or less opaque bars and likewise the groups of frames areequally spaced apart by opaque bars. These bars are desirable but notabsolutely necessary. Films printed with the present machine arepermanent, fixed and a true record.

In accordance with the present invention, the positive and negativefilms are advanced through a printing zone in a step by step manner andare permitted to remain quiescent during the printing operation.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of gearingfor intermittently advancing the films in conjunction with gearing foroperating the control means for exposing the films to light sources.

Another object is the provision of means whereby to facilitate thethreading of the positive and negative films through certain filmadvancing sprockets.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of thisspecification, and with all of said objects and advantages in view, thisinvention consists in the several novel features of construction,arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth andmore particularly defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying thisspecification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken out illustrating certainelements of the film feeding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical sectiontaken along the axes of two upright shafts which comprise part ofthefilm mechanism, the view being taken in a direction opposite to thatseen in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of ,two film sprockets 2 and associated filmretainers for holding the films in contact with the sprockets, one ofthe film retainers being shown in its retracted position;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a view partly in side elevation of the mechanism seen in Fig.3, and partly in vertical cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Only such mechanism as relates to the present invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, but the entire machine is shown anddescribed in its entirety in the parent application from which theinstant application has been divided.

Referring now to said drawings which are merely illustrative of oneembodiment of the invention, a frame structure is provided upon whichthe several instrumentalities are mounted. Mounted upon the front end ofthe frame structure is a panel 6 (see Figs. 4 and 5) upon which variousinstruments are mounted.

In Fig. 3 is shown a fragment of a positive film .52 and a fragment ofthe negative film 25. These films are trained around idlers and arounddriving sprockets, two of which are shown at 22, 33.

As will be hereinafter explained the sprockets are driven synchronouslyat equal speed by suitable gearing so that the positive and negativefilms are advanced simultaneously in an intermittent manner andpermitted to remain stationary during the printing interval.

Mounted on a base carried by the lower frame member of the framestructure is an electric mo tor (not shown) having a suitable speedreducing gearing from which extends the main drive shaft 39 of themachine. To the main drive shaft is coupled a drive shaft by a shaftcouplings]. The drive shaft 90 is journaled in bearing brackets 93mounted on one of the two upright supporting frames 62. A reel windingdrum I9! is mounted on the shaft 90, but as this drum forms no part ofthe present invention, further description of the same is believedunnecessary.

Mounted on the drive shaft 90 is a worm pinion 9- 3 which meshes with aworm pinion 95 that is mounted on a counter shaft 96 which is journaledin bearing bosses carried by the upright supporting frames 62.

The shaft 96 drives a mutilated gear wheel 99. This mutilated gear wheel99 alternately drives the film advancing mechanism and reciprocates thelight controlling gate mechanism andoscillates the lever which raisesand lowers the fogging light housing (not shown). 'A

clutch may be provided between the shaft 96 and mutilated gear 99, onemember I of the clutch being fastened to the mutilated gear wheel 99 byrivets I02 and coacts with a clutch member I03, fastened upon theshaft90. The clutch may be of the conventional unidirectional clutchconstruction which may be set for continuously driving the mutilatedgear wheel, or-

for rotating the same through one complete revolution and thenunclutching the clutch, whereby the mutilated gear wheel and all of themechanisms driven by it will remain idle until the clutch is againreclutched.

One clutch member carries a retractible bolt I05 which is arranged to bethrust into any one of a number of sockets I06 in the. clutch memberI03. A retractible shoe I01 having a tapered edge cooperates with thebolt to withdraw it from engagement in the socket in which it is engagedto thereby unclutch the clutch.

The shoe I01'is mounted me post II5 secured toand extending upward fromlower members of the frame structurev The shoe is set into its operativeor inoperative position from a hand lever I08 disposed adjacent thepanel 5. The hand lever is fastened to a rod. I09 rotatably mounted inthe panel 5 and in a post IIO secured to and extending up from the lowerframe member of the frame structure. On the end of the rod I99 issecured a crank arm III from which projects a stud or pin II2 whichoperates to depress the shoe I01.

The hand lever I08 is provided with a spring pressed bolt I20 whichengages in a hole in the panel 6 whenever the hand lever is swung intoits down position for a continuous operation of the machine. position bya pin I22 which strikes against the face of the hand lever when themachine is to be operated intermittently.

On the rod I09 is mounted a rock lever II2a, one arm of which-isconnected by a coiled tension spring I I2c with a stationary element,and functions to yieldably hold the rod I09 and the parts carriedthereby in inoperative position.

Inasmuch as the clutch mechanism and the lever for operating the sameforms no part of the present invention, a fuller description thereof isthought unnecessary so far as this specification is concerned.

The mutilated. gear wheel 99 has teeth upon approximately 180 degress ofits circumference which teeth are arranged to mesh alternately with theteeth of two pinions I25, I26 so that during one complete revolution ofthe mutilated gear wheel, in one half of its revolution it rotates onepinion while the other pinion remains idle, and in the other half of itsrevolution it rotates the previously idle pinion and permits the otherone to remain idle. Thus the pinions I25, I26 are each given onecomplete revolution each time they are rotated.

While the number of teeth on the mutilated gear wheel 99 and pinionsI25, I26 may be varied, so long as revolution of the mutilated gearwheel through an arc of 180 rotates a pinion through 360, the number ofteeth shown accomplishes 'this result. The mutilated gear wheel shownhas mutilated gear wheel becomes meshed with the teeth of the pinionI25. Atthe end of 7 the; ro-

The bolt is held in its retracted '4 tation of the mutilated gear wheelthrough an arc of 180, the last tooth of the mutilated gear wheel runsout of mesh with the teeth of the pinion I25. As a result, each pinionis given a complete revolution by the gear wheel during a rotation of180 thereof.

The pinions I25, I26 are mounted on counter shafts I21, I28 journaled inbearing bosses carried by the upright plates 62 and are bolted orotherwise fastened to detents I29, I30 rigidly fastened to the countershafts I21, I20 by pins or the like which pass through hubs formed onsaid detents and through the shafts. The end edges of the detents areconcaved along circular lines struck from the center of the countershaft 96 (see Fig. l) and are arranged to engage the circular edge ofadisc-like member I3I formed on one member of the clutch member I00 andthereby positively prevent accidental rotation of the pinions I25, I26and their shafts except when driven by the mutilated gear wheel.

The counter shaft I28 actuates the light con trolling gate mechanism andthe fogging light housing actuating mechanism, and the counter shaftI21v drives the film advancing mechanism through gearing and drivemechanism which will be presently described.

Mounted on one end of the counter shaft I28 is a mitre pinion I32 (seeFig. 2) which meshes with a mitre pinion I33 mounted upon an uprightshaft I34 journaled in a bearing bracket I35 car ried by the uprightplate 62. Coupled to the shaft I34, as by a shaft coupling I4I, is anupright shaft 130 which is journaled in abearing bracket I31 carried bythe upright plate 62. Rigidly secured to theshaft I36 is a mitre pinionI38 which meshes-with a mitre pinion I39 fast on the vcam shaft I40which is journaled in bearing bosses on the upright plates 62. Mountedon said cam shaft I40 are the three cam blocks 45, 66 and83. The camblock45 has the-cam groove 44 which cooperateswith-the roller 43.carriedby.

the rod or bar 4|v to reciprocate the light controlling gate (notshown). The cam groove is shaped to reciprocate the light controllinggate back and forth once during each. complete revolution, of the camshaftv 40.

The cam block 66 raises and lowers the fogging light housing (notshown), once during each revolution of the cam shaft. Its cam face iscircular throughout its greatest extent and has, a fiattened portionI43.which cooperates with the roller of the lever 60 to permit theroller 65to move downward, thereby permitting a spring to raisetheforward endof thelever 60. Thetiming of the cam Wis such that thefogginglight lamp housing is raised during the intervals that the filmsare being advanced.

Film advancing'mechanism A On ,oneendof the counter. shaft I21 is amitre.v

pinion I45which meshes witha mitre pinion, I46 pinned, or otherwiserigidlysecured to'an upright shaft I41 which is journaledinbearings I48,I49,

I50 carried by one ofzthe plates ,62.

Rotatively mounted in thebearing bracket, I49 is a sleeveI5I, the lowerend of which i provided withra coupling member of :anotherjshaftcoupling,

bosses carried by the upright plates'GZ. On the other ends of the shaftsI51, I58 are spiral gears I59, I60.

The spiral gears I55, I56 mesh respectively with spiral gears I6 I, I62pinned or otherwise rigidly secured to the shafts 33a, 22a for thenegative and positive film advancing sprockets 33, 22 (see Figs. 3 to5), and the spiral gears I59, I60 mesh respectively with spiral gearsI63, I64 pinned or otherwise rigidly secured. to the shafts 29a, I9a forthe other film advancing sprockets.

The film advancing sprockets are thus provided with drive gearing whichrotates all four sprockets in unison and at the same peripheral speed.The several sprocket shafts are journaled in bearing brackets I66 whichproject laterally from the upright supporting plates 62.

Safety means is provided for preventing actuation of the hand lever I08for the main clutch except when the shaft couplings Mi, I52 are fullyclutched. As shown, said safety means comprises an arm 2M secured to arod 208a, operatively connected with the shaft coupling I iI, I52, thelower end of the arm 2H1 being connected to a horizontally extending rod2 I5 which is adapted to be projected underneath a pin ZIE on the arm II2a. A complete description of the safety mechanism is shown anddescribed in the parent application from which the present one has beendivided and as it forms no part of the present invention it is believedthat further description thereof is unnecessary so far as thisspecification is concerned.

Associated with the film drivin sprockets are idlers 230 whichpositively hold the films in engagement with the sprockets. Tofacilitate threading the films between the sprockets and idlers 238, theidlers for each sprocket are mounted upon a retractible slotted arm 23!(see Figs. 3 to 5) which straddles a hub on the shaft 22a or 33a and isprovided with a hub 232 that is rotatably mounted on a stud 233 which isprovided with a knurled knob 234 and is rotatively mounted upon a pin235 eccentrically disposed with respect to the axis of the stud 233 andsecured to the panel 6 as by nuts. A threaded pin 236 is secured in thestud and has a reduced end which engages in a groove in the pin 235 andprevents accidental disconnection between the arm 23I and the pin 235.By rotating the knurled knob 2334 upon the eccentric pin to the positionseen in the lower half of Fig. 3, the arm 23I and therewith the idlers23B are retracted from the sprocket permitting the film to be readilytrained around the sprocket.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that variousimmaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing fromthe spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement andcombination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination in a film printing machine having a printing zoneincluding a light source, of mechanism for intermittently advancingpositive and negative films and for exposing the films to the same lightsource, said mechanism comprising a pair of alternately driven pinions,a pair of upright shafts and pinions thereon meshing with saidalternately driven pinions, a cam shaft having mounted thereon a lightcontrolling gate cam, a fogging light housing cam, and a fogging lightswitch cam, intermeshing pinions on said cam shaft and one of saidupright shafts,

film driving sprockets, and gearing for driving said sprockets havinggearing connections withthe other upright shaft, whereby the positiveand negative films are advanced through the printing zone in a step bystep manner, and are adapted to remain quiescent during the printingoperation in which the light controlling gate cam, the fogging lighthousing cam, and the light switch cam are actuated.

2. The combination in a film printing machine having a printing zoneincluding a light source, of mechanism for intermittently advancingpositive and negative films and for exposing the films to the same lightsource, said mechanism comprising a mutilated gear wheel, a pair ofpinions disposed diametrically opposite each other and adapted toalternately mesh with the teeth on the mutilated gear wheel one pinionat a time,

shafts upon which said pinions are mounted, mitre gears one mountedoneach shaft, two up right shafts, mitre gears on each of said uprightshafts and meshing with said first mentioned mitre gears, a cam shafthaving mounted thereon a light controlling gate cam, a fogging lighthousing cam, and a fogging light switch cam, operating mechanismactuated by said cams, intermeshing mitre gears between one of saidupright shafts and said cam shaft, and film sprocket driving shafts andgearing between said other upright shaft and said film sprocket drivingshafts, whereby the positive and negative films are advanced through theprinting zone in a step by step manner, and are adapted to remainquiescent during the printing operation in which the light controllinggate cam, the fogging light housing cam, and the light switch cam areactuated.

3. The combination in a film printing machine having a printing zoneincluding a light source, of mechanism for intermittently advancingpositive and negative films and for exposing the films to the same lightsource, said mechanism comprising a speed reducing mechanism including amain drive shaft, a driven shaft, reduction gearing operativelyconnecting the drive and driven shafts, a mutilated gear wheel mountedon the driven shaft, clutch means interposed between the reductiongearing and the mutilated gear and adapted for intermittent andcontinuous operation, a pair of alternately driven pinions operativelyconnected to alternately mesh with the mutilated gear wheel,operator-operated means operatively connected to the clutch meanswhereby the clutch is adapted for either continuous or intermittentoperation, a pair of upright shafts and pinions thereon meshing withsaidv alternately driven pinions, a cam shaft having mounted thereon alight controlling gate cam, a fogging light housing cam, and a fogginglight switch cam, operating mechanism actuated by said cams,intermeshing pinions on said cam shaft and one of said upright shafts,film driving sprockets and shafts therefor, and gearing on said otherupright shaft and said film sprocket driving shafts, whereby thepositive and negative films are advanced through the printing zone in astep by step manner, and are adapted to remain quiescent during theprinting operation in which the light controlling gate cam, the fogginglight housing cam, and the light switch cam are actuated.

4. The combination in a film printing machine having a printing zoneincluding a light source, of mechanism for intermittently advancingposi- 7., tive and negative films andrfor exposing.- the films to thesame light source, said. mechanism comprisinga pair .of pinions, meansfor alternately rotating said pinions, a pair of' upright shafts, shaftcouplingsincluding clutch meansfor each of said upright shafts, gearingbetween each pinion and one of said upright shafts, control meansoperatively connected to said pinions whereby the film printing machineis adaptedfor either continuous or intermittent operation, safety meansoperatively .connectedto the shaft couplings and saidcontrolmeanswhereby' actuation of the control means is prevented exceptwhere the shaft couplings are fully clutched,.a cam. shaft havingmounted thereonra light;controlling gate .cam, a fogging light housingcam, and afogging light switchicam, operating mechanism actuated by saidcams, gearing between,

one of said upright shafts and said cam shaft, film drivingsprocketsandshafts therefornand gearing between said other upright shaftrand theshafts for the film driving sprockets, whereby the positive and negativefilms are advanced through the printing zonein a step by step manner,and are adapted to remain quiescent during the printing operation inwhich the lightcontrollinggate cam, the'fogging light housing cam, andthe light switch cam are actuated.

5. The combination in a film printing machine having a printing zoneincluding a light source, of mechanism for intermittently advancingpositive and negative films and for exposing the films tothe same lightsource, said mechanism comprisingaa pair of alternately driven pinions.GOB- trol: means operatively connected to saidapinions whereby the filmprinting machine is adapted for either continuous or intermittentoperation, a camshaft having mounted thereon a light controlling gate;cam, a fogging light housing cam, and a fogging light switch cam,mechanism actuated by said cams, operative connections between one'ofsaid pinionsand said cam shaft,

film driving sprockets and shafts therefor and operative connectionsbetween said other pinion andthe shafts, for said film drivingsprockets, and safety means-operatively connected to the cam shaft, filmdrive shafts and said control means whereby actuation of said controlmeans is prevented except when said cam shaft and film shafts areoperative.

FREDERIC E. OAKI-IILL.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing-references are of record in the fileof'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

